I am just a mortal, why do you all worship me as a saint?

The news spread very quickly.

With so many top-tier powerhouses from various civilizations appearing at the same time, even though they intended to conceal their whereabouts, nothing stays secret forever, and such a grand display was bound to attract attention.

Xiaoyao Jun didn't know how many people were present to witness it, but it was said that there were at least a hundred people.

They were not weak, but far from enough to join the hunt. However, whoever witnessed it firsthand would surely spread the news widely.

The fall of more than twenty experts at the Concept Realm is undoubtedly the greatest loss to the heavens since the last great war, and it is inevitable that it will cause a huge uproar!

Now, everyone in the heavens knows about civilization.

The rebels control the concept of "darkness"!

Because they control the darkness, they are able to live and thrive in the dark world, a place that devours people without spitting out their bones, and they can also mobilize the darkness to fight against external enemies!

Whether they were spectators or survivors, they all told the same story.

Xiaoyao Jun understood perfectly.

The rebels had already infiltrated the Dark Realm, even before the Great War of the Heavens began!

Therefore, strictly speaking, the concept of darkness was controlled by the Great Enemy of the Epoch!

However, the Great Enemy of the Era was defeated in a one-against-seven battle. The rebels then fled into the Dark Realm, using the dark concepts that had already submitted to their lord to ensure that no one could threaten the safety of the remaining rebel forces!

The seed of fire was planted just like that.

Gu Heng had arranged everything.

Perhaps he had even anticipated this premeditated hunt.

Gu Heng's target was certainly not a group of conceptual cultivators. He was probably targeting higher-level beings, such as gods, or at least those top-tier powerhouses whose strength was infinitely close to that of gods and who could see through the essence of gods.

As far as Xiaoyao Jun knows, every civilization that has participated in this hunt is now suffering heavy losses.

The strength of a civilization lies entirely in the extent of its territory and the lower-level source realms it controls. As long as these two points are guaranteed, there is no need to worry about a shortage of powerful figures.

but.

Even if there isn't a shortage of top-tier combatants, losing so many top-level combatants at once would be painful for anyone. After all, cultivators at the Concept Realm are not like cabbages; they represent the pinnacle of a civilization's combat power and are an integral part of its foundation.

If it comes down to an all-out battle, high-end combat power becomes a crucial factor in determining the outcome!

Of course, everyone is willing to take a risk when faced with a "method to leave the Epoch Graveyard" that every civilization envies.

But now that they know the rebels still possess that power, they've become the unfortunate ones who've become stepping stones for others.

Fortune's wheel turns, and everyone has their day of bad luck.

"Mr. Gu is very pleased?"

Xiaoyao Jun kept a close eye on Gu Heng's expression.

can only say.

This epochal foe can't even manage his facial expressions anymore.

The way he looked like he wanted to laugh but didn't dare to was quite comical.

"No, no, no, I'm not happy. I just feel that life is unpredictable. You see, even top experts can't avoid shooting themselves in the foot, can they?"

Gu Heng grinned.

He was happy, but didn't want to make it too obvious.

Xiaoyao Jun remained silent, sensing that Gu Heng's words implied something, as if he wasn't referring to those unfortunate souls.

"So, will Grand Preceptor Gu Ce's plan still be carried out?"

"I don't know, most of the people who agreed to the plan back then seem to think it's not a good idea now."

Xiaoyao Jun scoffed at this behavior.

Whether the plan is canceled or not has no impact on him. He is no longer the Holy Emperor of the Baoque Dynasty, nor is he connected with the national fortune. Strictly speaking, he is not even a part of the Wanchao Civilization. Since he embarked on the path of pursuing "knowledge", he has already improved the Yunchao system with his own understanding.

As for the others, they have invested a great deal in this project.

Several months have passed since Gu Heng caused a ruckus in the ancient capital of Qinggu. Although several months is no different from several days in the myriad worlds, the resources invested are substantial.

Retreating now doesn't actually incur too high a sunk cost.

The rebels' display of military prowess plunged the entire Wanchao civilization into an abyss.

The Wanchao civilization actually wanted to participate in that hunt, but they couldn't, because assembling that level of combat power required the combined efforts of the entire civilization.

But Wanchao Civilization simply couldn't do that.

Unity.

This was utterly a pipe dream for a civilization so deeply entrenched in internal strife.

Being able to contribute money and effort, and to follow Gu Ce's orders to carry out a plan, is already their limit.

But it is precisely because of the lack of unity.

Therefore, they were unable to participate in the hunt and thus suffered no losses.

Now, a rare sense of rationality has returned to them.

Since the rebels hold the concept of darkness, wouldn't luring them out be tantamount to suicide?

To deal with concepts, one must rely on concepts of the same level but mutually exclusive in origin, or rely on the power of the gods of the era.

However, the epochal deities of the Wanchao civilization are no longer effective.

Whether the plan will continue or not is not for me to tell you.

Xiaoyao Jun suddenly stood up.

"Eh?"

Gu Heng was taken aback.

"Mr. Gu has other guests, so I won't stay any longer."

Xiaoyao Jun bowed slightly, and before Gu Heng could even react, he had vanished.

Are there other guests?

Who is it?

Before Gu Heng could even turn the corner, he saw someone else enter his solitary little courtyard.

Upon seeing this, he understood.

The great strategist Gu Ce, who was skilled in planning and strategizing, has arrived.

As Gu Ce stepped into the courtyard, Gu Heng had just put aside the teacup that Xiaoyao Jun had used.

Today, the Grand Preceptor was not wearing a brocade robe, but only a simple gray cloth long gown, which was quite different from the image of the Grand Preceptor in Gu Heng's memory, who was strategizing and had a dignified demeanor in Qinggu Divine Capital.

"Mr. Gu."

Gu Ce nodded slightly, his voice calm, "You've suffered during this time."

Gu Heng gestured for Gu Ce to sit down, poured him another cup of tea, and pushed it towards him: "It's not that I feel wronged."

"Is Mr. Gu finding his accommodations comfortable?"

Gu Ce walked slowly closer and naturally sat down on the stone bench where Xiaoyao Jun had just sat.

"It is quiet, but it is too quiet."

Gu Ce took the teacup, lowered his eyes to look at the golden tea in the cup, and gently stroked the rim with his fingertips: "Was Xiaoyao Jun here just now?"

Gu Heng nodded: "They just left."

"It's as if you two planned it, one in front and one behind."

"It was not an agreement."

Gu Ce shook his head: "I was going to come to find you anyway."

He sensed that Xiaoyao Jun had stopped there, so he waited outside for a while. There were some things he couldn't say while Xiaoyao Jun was present.

To put it bluntly, it's a lack of mutual trust.

They were in the same boat, but Gu Ce didn't consider himself an appendage of the Great Enemy of the Era, and Xiao Yao Jun didn't regard him as one of his own but as a temporary ally. Since that was the case, it was better to keep some distance to avoid awkwardness for everyone later.

"Does the Imperial Advisor have any good news?"

Gu Heng silently sipped his tea: "I heard that your plan isn't very popular with others anymore. If you're planning to cancel it, don't forget to let me know."

"Do not."

"Thanks to those rebels for causing such a commotion, my plans are now much easier to execute."

Gu Ce came to deliver good news.

He wasn't stupid enough to bring bad news to someone who could easily crush him.